The old and the new: a study of five contrast media for urography

Five contrast media, Conray 280 and 420, Urografin 370, Uromiro Sodium 300 and Niopam 370, were compared in a randomised trial involving a total of 482 patients. The best urographic agent was Conray 420 and the worst Conray 280, these control agents defining the ends of the scoring system. Uromiro Sodium 300 was very nearly as good as Conray 420. A non-ionic agent, Niopam 370, scored nearly equal with Urografin 370; both were rather better than Conray 280. There was little difference in minor reactions between the media. No reason was found to prefer non-ionic to ionic agents for general use in urography; indeed for a diagnostic examination the sodium salt of an ionic agent is preferable.